From:
Shelby Kimura
Date: 2001-10-11 05:18:00 UTC
Subject: Ferrets 2002 - No Date Change!
The International Ferret Symposium Committee has decided NOT to
change the date for Ferrets 2002 in Las Vegas, February 1-3, 2002.
I want to thank everyone who provided us input to help make our
decision, and to explain to you why we considered the change.
As I mentioned before, the NFL has changed the date of the Superbowl
to Feb 3. Many wonder why this has anything to do with us, since the
Superbowl is in New Orleans, and won't even start until the Symposium
is over.
However, Superbowl weekend is a big party time in Las Vegas. I think
I recall hearing that it is the most heavily betted on sporting event
in the country. And people go to LV to place bets. According to
someone who has been in LV the last 3 Superbowl weekends, we can
expect crowded airports, hotels, and restaurants, as well as lots of
rowdy football fans. For those who have not yet booked flights or
rooms, bargains will be hard to come by.
Our hotel urged us to change the date. Yes, it is in their financial
interest to move us to a less crowded weekend, but they also showed a
genuine concern for the atmosphere that would surround our
convention.
On the other hand are people who have made their plans months in
advance, booking flights and hotel rooms, and making arrangements
with employers for time off. Some other ferret events were even
rescheduled to avoid conflict with Ferrets 2002. Many people who had
planned to attend would not be able to if the date changed, or only
at significant additional expense. The Committee has been promoting
the event on this date for several months, and we would have to find
ways to notify people of the change.
Also and very importantly, 2 of our major speakers could not make the
alternate date. Their absence would leave a gaping hole in our
Symposium schedule that would be hard to fill.
So we decided to keep the same date. If you know people who are
planning to attend, but have not yet sent in their registration,
please urge them to do so. **Booking hotel rooms as soon as possible
is especially important--we have a limited number of rooms at the low
conference rate.** Room sharing is also encouraged. We also urge that
travel arrangments be made as soon as possible.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me or one of
the other committee members.
Linda Iroff
linda.iroff@o...
http://ferretsymposium.mdex.ca